FG Clarifies Ethiopia Prisoner Deal, Denies Circulating Inmate List Claims

According to Ireporter Online, the Federal Government has clarified the purpose and scope of its recently signed Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement with Ethiopia, describing it as a humanitarian and diplomatic arrangement aimed at allowing convicted Nigerians serving prison terms in the East African country to complete their sentences at home.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, explained that the agreement was reached after years of negotiations due to challenges in verifying the exact number of Nigerian inmates across Ethiopian correctional facilities, particularly in Kaliti and Aba Samuel maximum-security prisons.

She dismissed a viral report claiming that 136 Nigerians were affected, insisting that the verified figure stands at 98 inmates covered under the agreement. The minister also described some of the offences being circulated online as exaggerated and misleading.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that the arrangement was driven by concerns over the welfare of the inmates, citing poor living conditions, inadequate medical care, limited access to legal representation, language barriers, and restricted visitation rights as key factors that necessitated the deal. She further revealed that four Nigerian prisoners had died during the lengthy process of concluding the agreement between both countries.

She stressed that the transfer arrangement does not amount to freedom for the affected inmates, explaining that a key provision of the MoU ensures that no pardon or amnesty will be granted upon their return without the consent of the sentencing country.

The minister also debunked claims that the prisoners were from a single region of Nigeria, stating that the inmates cut across different parts of the country, adding that criminal cases are not tied to ethnicity or geography. She maintained that all individuals involved are Nigerian citizens serving sentences abroad under foreign jurisdiction.